Are you familiar with bobsledding, a track made of snow and ice on a sled that can steer the direction? Lee Kyung-yeon in School of Sports in SSU has been selected to represent the bobsled 2022-23 season. After hearing the amazing news, ST visited him and interviewed him! Let’s all cheer for him! ...................................................................................................................................Ed
Korea has such great figures as Son Heung-min, BTS, and Psy, who have made the country proud. A very diverse group of people have been initiating activities that raise the national dignity for a long time. Koreans go crazy when they see their countrymen raising Korea’s status. SSU has also been an important part of the history of Korea in the past. SSU was established in 1897 and has produced many talented people in the last 100 years. It produced independence activists who were indispensable in Korean history, and key figures in various fields, such as politics, law, business, and education. In particular, from the 2010s, soccer athletes from SSU began to emerge. Among them is the famous soccer player Park Joo-ho of Suwon FC in the current K League 1. Park Joo-ho played an active role in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games as the eldest player, and Korea won the Asian Games gold medal for the first time in 28 years. Many people were excited to see the national team athlete Park Joo-ho, who has made Korea shine, but the students of SSU, in particular, must have felt extraordinary joy as they came from the same school. In this regard, there is good news for Soongsilians. That is, in the spring of this year, Lee Kyung-yeon (the School of Sports, ’17) was selected as a member of the national bobsled team for the 2022-23 season. With a fluttering heart, we interviewed Lee Kyung-yeon.
ST: Please introduce yourself.
Lee: I’m Lee Kyung-yeon, majoring in School of Sports at SSU, and I’m a bobsledder.
ST: How did you start bobsledding?
Lee: I was interested in it for a while because the teacher of a College of Physical Education asked me to participate in the bobsled selection competition in 2015. But I wasn’t able to prepare for it due to military training and personal affairs. Still, coincidentally, while serving in the military, I heard that a senior at the school was selected for the national bobsled team, and he said he was looking for talent among his juniors. Later, I got a call and started training. Before that, I didn’t even know what kind of sport bobsled was.
ST: Was there a difficult time or a trying incident while you were learning bobsledding? How did you overcome it?
Lee: I think this is the hardest time. I think my career is shorter than other players, and my basic foundation is lesser. In track and field, weight is not enough, and there are too many parts that I find myself lacking. So, I’m working 1.5 times harder than anyone else to fill that gap.
ST: How did you become a member of the national team? How does it feel to be a member of the national team?
Lee: I was not good at studying, and I thought that all I could trust was my practical skills. So, I entered the physical education university. In the meantime, I thought I wanted to go up as much as possible in my field with my ability, and I accidentally participated in the national team selection match. I was worried because I lacked experience compared to other players, so I tried harder, and I feel a double sense of accomplishment with my good results.
ST: Do you have a role model?
Lee: My Coach Kim. He is famous, and he studies a lot. He thinks about the players first and is a true leader. He applies what he has studied perfectly to the players and creates a new program every time. I want to be like him, studying hard, trying hard, constantly developing, and continuously trying. I think Yun Sung-bin’s mind is cool. I think ‘Will I be able to be like him someday?’
ST: What kind of player will Lee Kyung-yeon become in the future?
Lee: I must go to the Olympics. I want to win a medal in an international competition like the Olympics. If I can’t not do it in 2026, I’m thinking about it until 2030. As far as my hands and feet can reach! The Olympics is now my biggest goal.
Various athletes from around the world are exerting strenuous efforts to reach their goals, and for those who give them courage. Lee Kyung-yeon set his goal of participating in the Olympics and vowed to nurture his self-development by finding key points to reinforce such skills. Perhaps Soongsilians have also something to achieve according to their beliefs, and ST hopes this article will give you an opportunity to move forward without giving up on the difficulties that arise in the process of achieving your goals. In addition, let’s cheer for Lee Kyung-yeon not only this season but also in the future!
Kim Tae-eun (Planning Editor)
rhfelddl01@soongsil.ac.kr
Jung Dong-min (ST Cub-Reporter)
dongmando@soongsil.ac.kr
